When feeding baby, BE HAPPY!.

• Offer food at regular times throughout the day
• Before you begin, relax and put on your happy face. Everyone will feel more comfortable. Smile and say "Mmmmm" remember your baby gets their behavioural cues from you.
• Baby learns by touching, squashing, spreading or even throwing, as well as eating. Accept this as normal, be prepared, and don't pay lots of attention to it or it might be repeated to get your reaction.
• Babies can be picky with what they eat. This is normal too. If a food is refused, omit it for a week and try it again. Never force feed - its not much fun for anyone.
• Aim for a balanced diet over a week, not at every meal.
• If nobody has told you yet - your job from now on is simply to provide nutritious foods. What and how much is eaten is really up to the kids.

Is my baby FOOD SENSITIVE?.

Food sensitivities are definitely on the increase. Chemicals are used all around us everyday, in many cases they are added to our foods before the health effects are fully understood. Short answer to is my baby food sensitive probably. You're not alone. 72% of parents believe their children are sensitive to some foods or additives!

Babies and young children are most at risk due to their underdeveloped  gastrointestinal and immune systems.

Motherly is and always will be committed to providing 100% natural food free from additives and thickeners -so at least a small part of your childs world is guaranteed to be chemical free.

Reactions to foods can happen when the body' defense mechanism ( immune system ) mistakenly believes a food, usally a protein is harmful to the body. early studies of food allergy estimated that the prevalence of food allergy in children was 6-8%. However there is emerging evidence that suggests reactions to food may play a role in 20-30% of some common conditions

Conditions associated with food allergy

Rections to food can vary in amount, time and symptoms

What are intolerences?.

Intolerences are non -immune system related reactions to chemicals and additives in food.

Examples of these include lactose intolerance, an enzyme defect ( lack of enzyme lactase in the gut) caused either by a genetic predisposition or temporary loss throug the striping of the gut after food posioning from bacterial infection.

What are the probelm foods?.

In children younger than 5 years of age 90 percent of food allergies are associated with a small group of foods ( so pay attention to these ones!.)

Highly coloured fruit and vegetables can also be of concern to some sensitive individuals. For example tomatoes, strawberries and other berries, oranges and lemons.

If there is a family history of allergy it is best to delay introduction or avoid those foods altogether. Always remember the key to a healthly diet is variety and excluding a food goup should be done only under medical supervision. However here are a few pointers:

• Always test any new foods in very small amounts initially
• Always be wary of stringy or hard foods that may be a choking hazzard, like dry biscuits, sausages skins, nuts, popcorn, unpeeled fruits or raw vegetables.
• Avoid nut or shellfish products until at least 2 to 3 years olds due to potential severe allergic reaction.
• Avoid honey until 1 year old due to the risk of infant botulisim.
• Do not use cow's milk as a drink until 1 year old. Small amounts can be tried on cereal or in cooking from 9 months old. Standard cow's milk has low iron and vitamin C levels and high levels of some minerals which can compromise iron absorbtion in infants.
• Avoid eggs until 1 year old. Start with a small amount of egg yolk to test for intolerance.
• Limit highly acidic fruits like orange and pineapple until 1 year old as the acids can be harsh on an immature digestive system.
•  Offer cooled boiled water instead of lots of juice. It's free and much better for teeth.
• Avoid eggs until 1 year old. Start with a small amounts of egg yolk to test for intolerance. It is the egg white that contains the protein allergens.

Food sensitivities are definitely on the increase. The world seems to be evolving into a toxic place. Chemicals are used all around us everyday, sometimes even added to our foods before they are fully understood.

Motherly is committed to providing 100% natural food free from all additives and thickeners - so at least a small bit, yet an important bit, of your child's world is chemical free.

Regards, Motherly .

Disclaimer: The Motherly website provides general information on a range of topics. This information is for educational purposes only. We do not guarantee the accuracy, reliability, or currency of this information or, most importantly, its applicability to individual circumstances. We strongly recommend you seek professional advice to properly assess your individual circumstances before acting or relying upon any information provided in this website.